


Star Bell

by shinjiteii



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-06-29 07:25:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15724713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinjiteii/pseuds/shinjiteii
Summary: Woohyun hates Sunggyu. It’s complicated.





	1. Prologue

 

 

The outside of the orphanage building was serene and all the lights inside the building were switched off, so much so that, if it weren’t for the streetlights, no one would have noticed the existence of the building in the dark night.

  
This was unlike last year when Sunggyu had been welcomed by a horde of children, and he had been so surprised and shocked that it had been a task to maneuver his car to the garage successfully while avoiding hitting any of the kids.

  
Thankfully, this year no one was there to welcome him except the one and only Jang Dongwoo.

  
Dongwoo was standing by the gate, with a lamp in his hand. He opened the gate when Sunggyu’s car neared, to allow it to enter.

  
Sunggyu parked his new Mercedes car, and stepped out of it to be welcomed by a hug.

  
“Did the others come already?” Sunggyu asked, following Dongwoo inside the building, up the stairs, to his room for the next month.

  
“Yes. Woohyunie came in the morning, and Soo came in the afternoon. Yeol arrived two days ago.”

  
“Oh that’s great! How are you?”

  
“I am fine. We just talked yesterday right hyung?” Dongwoo laughed.

  
“Yes, but those troublemakers might have already made your life hell.”

  
“No. In fact, they have been really helpful. My new kids already like them. You have competition.” Dongwoo said, as he entered a room and straightened out the bedcover for Sunggyu to sleep.

  
Sunggyu scoffed.

  
“It was a long journey right? Sleep now, we will walk tomorrow. Breakfast is at eight in my room.”

  
“Okay, good night Woo.”

  
“Good night. Sleep well.”

 

 

888

 

 

“Coast clear sensei” Sungyeol’s voice came over the bluetooth headset.

  
Woohyun showed him a thumbs up, and tiptoed to the shiny new car, with a nail in his hand.

  
It took less than a minute and the job was done.

  
Woohyun was about to walk back sneakily, when there was a grip on his collar from the behind.

  
“You don’t grow up, do you?” The voice almost gave a heart attack to Woohyun, because the owner of the voice was Kim Sunggyu, the one whose car’s tyre he had just punctured.

  
But he innocently turned around, hiding the nail in the front pocket of his jeans.

  
Sunggyu had a grim expression, and scolded him. “I can’t believe a twenty seven year old man goes around puncturing tyres of cars. It is dangerous, don’t you know that?”

  
“Why are you accusing me of that? I am not the one who did that.” Woohyun answered back.

  
“I have it all recorded here.” Sunggyu showed his phone.

  
Woohyun did not give Sunggyu a second to breathe as he snatched the phone from his hands, and started running away.

  
“You punk!” Sunggyu shouted after him, and gave chase.

  
They ran around corners of the building, inside, one up the stairs while the other through the lift, followed the chase down, and ran outside the building again.

  
Woohyun entered the farm, and hid inside, hoping he had finally managed to escape his archenemy’s gaze.

  
Just as he was about to press delete on the recorded video file, he saw Sunggyu running towards him.

  
There was no time, he ran inside the empty cowshed, but that was a mistake, since now he was cornered.

  
Sunggyu caught hold of him, but Woohyun jumped into the huge pile of hay, hoping to buy time to get rid of the file.

  
That proved to be quite a heavy decision for him, as Sunggyu had jumped over him, and was weighing him down.

  
They were both buried inside the hay and struggling; Sunggyu trying to snatch the phone from him, and Woohyun trying to click ‘yes’ on the delete confirmation popup.

  
“I have it saved on the cloud too.” Sunggyu said, and Woohyun had a mental breakdown.

  
He kept the phone aside and bit Sunggyu on his hand. That was pretty crazy of him, but he was mad frustrated. Sunggyu had again won over him. He hated the other so much, and when he lost to him, that was when Woohyun would get real mad. Losing to Sunggyu was on the top of the list of things Woohyun hated.

  
Sunggyu screamed like a bitch; Woohyun hadn’t even bit him that hard, but he hadn’t yet let his hand free from his teeth, so it was understandable.

  
But apparently, Sunggyu was also an idiot like him, because next, the guy older to him by two years, bit Woohyun on the neck.

  
“What the fuck Sunggyu, you bastard, let go!” Woohyun tried to push him away. He had to let go of the hand from his mouth, since he had to speak, but Sunggyu made no move to free Woohyun’s neck.

  
Instead, Sunggyu pulled back once, to bite at another place next to it.

  
Woohyun wondered if he should knee the bastard, but there was already enough damage he had caused to the man. Anymore damage, and there could be serious trouble coming to him. But the move seemed tempting, when Sunggyu seemed to have no intention of letting Woohyun live.

  
“I will scream for help.” Woohyun warned him.

  
Sunggyu took the bluetooth headset off Woohyun and threw it aside on the hay, continuing his assault.

  
Woohyun would have pushed him away, but now Sunggyu had him trapped underneath in a way, Woohyun couldn’t even knee his way to get out. The evil mastermind had learned martial arts over the years, just so he could defend himself from Woohyun, and that was proving to be useful now.

  
“What do you want?” Woohyun asked, not wanting to bear the pain any longer.

  
Sunggyu pulled away finally, and said, “Lick this in apology.” He showed his bitten palm.

  
Woohyun knew Sunggyu was playing with him, knowing he wouldn’t agree to that. But what Sunggyu had in his mind, could be even more sinister, so Woohyun took the chance to get out of the mess.

  
He leaned his head upward, and swiped his tongue at the extended palm.

  
Woohyun watched Sunggyu as he did that, and he could see how taken aback the other was. He used the opportunity to his advantage and took the palm inside his mouth, licking it tenderly for a while, and letting it go. “Done. Now let me go.”

  
“Wha-” Sunggyu looked flustered. “I was joking.”

  
“Joking? You can’t say that after making me do such a humiliating thing. You can’t be that much of a loser.” Woohyun said.

  
Sunggyu wiped his hand over Woohyun’s t-shirt, and made a face. “Ew” He got up from over Woohyun, and pocketed his phone, which was on the hay some distance away.

  
Woohyun looked for his own headset and pocketed it safely.

  
“So Sungyeol is involved with you huh? Should have known. Every year, it’s him who comes to me running, saying that my car’s tyre is punctured. So it is a joint venture huh, did not expect that from Yeol.”

  
“He is not to blame.” Woohyun said, standing up and dusting his pants. “I blackmail him every time, besides it doesn’t actually harm you anyway. Oh hey Myungsoo, how are you doing.”

  
Myungsoo who was in the shed playing with his cat, waved at him. “I was just taking Byeol out for a walk. What are you doing here?”

  
Sunggyu stood up at that exact moment, and Myungsoo’s face went from surprised to confused to blank again.

  
“Were you two making out secretly?” Myungsoo asked. “I won’t tell anyone.”

  
“Trying to kill each other.” Sunggyu answered from next to Woohyun.

  
“The same thing.” Woohyun commented off handedly.

  
As he started walking away, Sunggyu called after him. “Hey! You still have to pay me the compensation for the damage. I want compensation for all the past five years plus interest for the period.”

  
“Oh he found about you stealing his clothes?” Myungsoo turned to Woohyun.

  
Woohyun facepalmed, as Sunggyu murmured confused, “Stealing my clothes…”

  
“You have too many of them anyway. Also you are filthy rich” Woohyun pointed at Sunggyu. “Don’t you even feel ashamed asking for money from poor people like us?” Woohyun pointed to himself and Myungsoo.

  
Sunggyu looked convinced for a second, but as Woohyun and Myungsoo walked away talking about their cats, Sunggyu shouted after them, “You guys have multiple apartments in Gangnam. Which one of you is poor? Do you think I am a fool?”

  
The two ignored him and walked to the building, greeting Dongwoo who was waving at them from the first floor balcony of the building, two five year old kids hiding behind him, holding his t-shirt from behind.

  
Woohyun was excited this year as well; this was the period of the year he looked forward the most to. He looked behind when Myungsoo walked ahead of him, just to check what Sunggyu was doing, and noticed that the older was helping a small girl tie her shoelaces, which had come undone.

  
Woohyun was so intently focused on the scene that it hadn’t come to his notice that he was ignoring his surroundings, until a crowd of kids began pulling him, calling his name, and asking him to join in their game.

 

 

888

 

 

The kid looked pretty shy, for someone around probably seven years of age, but she had small curious eyes, and Sunggyu was reminded of a younger version of himself, the younger version of himself his caretakers described him as.

  
When he was done tying her shoelaces, and smiled at her, she finally gave him a smile back, and it made Sunggyu happy.

  
“You are cute.” He said, pinching her cheek with his clean hand.

  
Her sharp eyes landed their gaze on the other hand. “What happened?” She asked, biting her nails.

  
Sunggyu took off her fingers from her mouth, and then looked at the faint bite mark on his hand. “Nothing, just a wild dog bit me.”

  
The girl looked scared.

  
“Don’t worry. Oppa has superpowers, I will heal them quickly.”

  
“Really?” She asked, surprised.

  
“No.” He laughed, “But do you know Sungyeol oppa?” He asked.

  
She nodded her head vigorously.

  
Sunggyu placed his hand on her head, so she would calm down the nodding; he was getting a headache from how fast she was nodding. “Sungyeol oppa is a doctor. Doctors are superheroes. They save people. He will save me too.”

  
The girl opened her mouth in wonder.

  
“What is your name?”

  
She played with her fingers shyly. “Soo Jin"

  
“Soo Jin, I am Sunggyu oppa. I will be one of your guides for the month. If you need any help, come to me any time. Oppa will help you, okay?”

  
She nodded in reply.

  
Sunggyu looked away from her finally, and when he looked around, he could swear he saw Woohyun had been looking at him.

  
But there were many kids jumping around Woohyun, and the younger had his entire attention on them. He was laughing carefree and light, and Sunggyu thought Woohyun looked beautiful when he didn’t have Sunggyu on his mind.

  
Too bad, Sunggyu hated him equally.

 

 

888

 

 

They had skipped breakfast, but it wasn’t anything worth regretting because Woohyun enjoyed every minute of playing soccer with the kids during their break time.

Though his stomach started rumbling, and Dongwoo gestured him to join for breakfast.

  
Woohyun had excused himself for a while, so that he could look at the damage Sunggyu had caused to his neck.

  
It was pretty bad, and Woohyun had had to borrow some cosmetics from Sungyeol to cover it up. Yet the marks were not completely hidden.

  
Well, Woohyun had the entire month to extract revenge from his enemy and he already had a few plans in his mind ready. Oh it was going to be a fun month.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even though no angst is planned currently, the tag is there because it is me writing the story lol and a warning is better
> 
> this is my medium to procastinate and cure writer's block.. should this be continued?


	2. The Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> changed the one line summary of the story

  
 

 

 

“Ahh! Stop please! You are hurting me Yeol!”

“And?” The newspaper roll in Sungyeol’s hand continued attacking Woohyun’s head.

“I will have a concussion if you won’t stop!” Woohyun whined, trying to move his head away to evade the hits. Getting up from where he was seated on the bed would have been more effective, but Sungyeol was currently examining his neck (while hitting him), so Woohyun couldn’t even move.

“Shut up. The more you speak, the more time it will take. Don’t you want to have lunch?”

“Yes” Woohyun mumbled, and let Sungyeol work on treating him.

The younger man let him breathe after a few minutes, moving away to pack his kit.

Woohyun still couldn’t believe that the troublemaker had grown up to become a doctor, but it was nice to have a doctor as your close friend. Sungyeol was always there to give him advice or treatment.

“Woohyun, more than half of the country looks up to you. I don’t understand how they admire someone stupid like you.” Sungyeol said, lying down on the bed, exhausted.

“You are more stupid than me, and people trust you to save their lives. Your admirers are more unbelievable in fact.” Woohyun replied. “Anyway, people like me for my music, and not anything else.” He smiled softly to himself. It was a nice feeling, knowing his music was loved.

They were in Woohyun’s bedroom, waiting for the clock to tick to one, so they could leave for lunch. Sungyeol had been to Sunggyu’s room before to treat Sunggyu’s hand, and was done with doing the same to Woohyun’s neck. After all the two had decided to act rabid, and bitten each other in the morning.

Woohyun knew the younger must be thinking he was crazy for his antics, but he knew them since childhood, so Sungyeol accepted their bullshit anyway.

“This isn’t good. Humans shouldn’t bite humans.” Sungyeol said, grim.

“Not again! Sungyeol ah, I had to listen to your lecture for half an hour now and I promise not to repeat this again, so please end this discussion here.” Woohyun pleaded.

Sungyeol sighed and resigned. “Okay.”

“Did Sunggyu hyung scold you regarding the tyres?” Woohyun asked, cautious.

“Of course he did. The things I have to do for you…” Sungyeol glanced at Woohyun sideways. “No, because of you…” He muttered. “Anyway, aren’t you going to repay him for all the damage? It has been so many years and he finally caught you. Seems like he has proof this time. Money shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“As if I would give him even a thousand won.” Woohyun rolled his eyes. “He can do whatever. Sue me or anything. I am not paying him.”

“And what does all of this help you achieve? I have never understood…”

“I hate him. It’s that simple. What’s not to understand in that?” Woohyun asked, getting up from the bed, to dress into better clothes.

Sungyeol sat up, all of a sudden completely serious, compared to his usual playful demeanour around Woohyun. “I don’t have the right to interfere in whatever is between you and hyung, but I just want to tell you one thing.” Sungyeol waited for Woohyun to be done dressing, so he could listen to his words properly.

Usually Woohyun wouldn’t even care about whatever people said about him and Sunggyu, but now he dressed up quickly because Sungyeol was being so damn spooky with his seriousness. “Yeah?” He asked, sitting down next to Sungyeol.

“You have spent years in this, showing your hatred towards each other.” Sungyeol started. “And there may be genuine reasons for that, and I can’t comment on that. But… time passes quickly and it doesn’t come back. I don’t want you to look back years later and regret your actions, that you spent your time doing something unimportant, when you could have had wonderful memories instead.” Sungyeol placed his hand over Woohyun’s. “Maybe this game of yours only hurts the both of you. I request you to quit it.”

That was a surprise. So far, none of the others had explicitly asked Woohyun to stop his fights with Sunggyu, and that Sungyeol was actually requesting it directly made him surprised. “Sungyeol ah, in case you haven’t noticed, we do not just fight all the time. I do talk to him regularly and it is not just for arguing that we talk.”

“Yeah but what I am saying is, you do not need to fight so much. Reduce it? Maybe consider stopping your pranks? I kind of have an idea of why you would do such things, but I don’t think it’s needed anymore.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t think Sunggyu hyung will stop talking to you if you don’t give him reasons to scold you. Hyung won’t just avoid you if you stop annoying him. I think he’ll feel more peaceful not having to worry about how you’d annoy him next and would feel more cheerful around you.”

Was Woohyun that transparent? It felt embarrassing when Sungyeol could read him so well, but the younger was Woohyun’s closest friend, so it wasn’t a surprise actually.

“I am not asking you to change completely. But please consider my words.” Sungyeol patted Woohyun’s back. “Now, come on, it’s time already. Let’s go!”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Gohan was an orphanage located at the outskirts of a small town. It was where Sunggyu had grown up and lived for eight years of his life. The orphanage was twenty nine years old, exactly Sunggyu’s age, though Sunggyu had entered it at the age of ten. When Sunggyu had been admitted there, the structure was just of three storeys, and now it had expanded with the help of donations. It was a twenty storey building now, with various facilities around it, all funded by past students. The founder of the orphanage was an old industrialist who barely managed to fund it properly, but the ex-students had all mostly turned out successful enough to make some parents in the country wish to even enrol their children in there despite their kids not being orphans.

And who were the ex-students? There was Donghae, who was the entrepreneur of a food company; Heechul, a widely-loved entertainer; Sunmi, the popular dance coach; Kwanghee, a popular actor; and Victoria, an award winning gymnast. Even Sunggyu’s friend group were all doing well in their respective fields- Sunggyu was an award winning scientist, Dongwoo- the head of the orphanage, Woohyun- a chart topping ballad singer, Sungyeol- a doctor, Myungsoo- an upcoming actor, and Sungjong- the most requested model.

Most kids lived at Gohan until the age of eighteen, after which they moved out for higher education or to work. And most of the students being attached to the place which was their home, tried to contribute in their own way back. Some helped financially, while some volunteered to assist in the functioning of the orphanage.

There were very few teachers on fixed contract since the location was not quite convenient for Gohan to hire good teachers. Hence, past students would join as guides monthly to take the role of teachers. It was during April ever year that Sunggyu took a month off from work and joined his friends to assist as guides. Apart from the idea of contributing back, that period was special for Sunggyu since he loved meeting his friends who were as good as family. Time spent with them was always precious to him. And April 28th was when his birthday was. His precious people being around him during his birthday was a thing of tremendous joy for him.

What he did not look forward to during the month, was Nam Woohyun’s pranks.

Woohyun had entered the orphanage at the same time as Sunggyu and Myungsoo. The three used to live in the town just adjacent to the one Gohan was in. However, just a day before Sunggyu’s tenth birthday, the entire town had somehow caught fire. People were crying and running, but hadn’t been able to escape. Sunggyu was an orphan back then too, who used to live with his grandmother. His grandmother had been weak, unable to run and had forced Sunggyu to run to escape. He had wasted a lot of time to convince and try to get her out, but after multiple unsuccessful attempts, had to run away by himself. On his way to escape, he had come across a burning house, inside which had been a young lady and a boy. The boy was pulling his mother out, convincing her to run, but she wouldn’t leave and kept on murmuring something.

When she noticed Sunggyu, she had pushed the small boy towards Sunggyu, and had asked her son, the boy, Woohyun, to escape with the hyung. She had requested Sunggyu to take her child to safety and take care of him in case she couldn’t make it out. Sunggyu couldn’t refuse and had taken Woohyun with him. It had been a difficult task to escape, what with the eight year old Woohyun looking back again and again and crying for his mother, and with an even younger seven year old Myungsoo joining them on the way. Woohyun had made it especially hard because he refused and protested to come, saying they had to bring his mom out too, and Sunggyu had had to literally drag him out.

They had run and run in the direction others were running, but the trail stopped and they were only surrounded by rings of fire on all sides. Some people waited without any hope to live, the others ran into the fire because there was no way forward. Sunggyu didn’t know what to do, but they had to run or they would die. So he had held the two boys’ hands and had pulled them along with him forward. He tried to run in places where the fire wasn’t too much, but they were still walking inside fire. All around them people were burning, and so Sunggyu asked the two kids not to look around or at people and simply move forward. Surprisingly, the fire didn’t affect them at all. At that time it was confusing, but he was ten year old then and didn’t have much knowledge and had pulled the two kids out of the fire without any burns at all.

And they had been the only three survivors.

Since their town had been a rather small one with not even a population of thousand, the incident, despite puzzling, had remained in the news only for a few days. And most people believed the kids didn’t know better and instead of making it through the fire like they claimed, they must have already been outside the town at the time of the fire.

Once they had made it out though, they were soon admitted to Gohan in the neighbouring town.

And Woohyun had accused Sunggyu of killing his mother.

That was how Sunggyu had met Woohyun, the most complex person in his life.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

When Woohyun returned from lunch, he was alone, with Sungyeol deciding to rest in his own room. They had to start taking classes starting tomorrow, and so Woohyun decided to ready himself for it.

He took out the scheduler Dongwoo had handed to him, and the set of books that had been delivered to his room.

The classes would start at seven in the morning and continue till noon. They would gather for lunch after that, and were free to do anything for the rest of the day. Usually Woohyun would visit the beaches nearby with any of his willing friends, or spend the day indoors, playing with the kids, or simply talking to his friends. They had to catch up on a year’s worth of life events after all.

Woohyun was supposed to take music, physics and sports classes. Until last year, he had been taking math too which had been replaced by physics this year. It was not a good thing because he wasn’t good at the subject but Sunggyu was supposed to teach the class, and Woohyun was only supposed to assist him so it was all good. The only flaw in the program was that Woohyun was afraid Sunggyu would use his position to boss over him or humiliate him. To alleviate his concerns, Dongwoo had explained that Sunggyu would be serving as an assistant to Woohyun during music, and so the older wouldn’t try to annoy him since Woohyun could get back at him during music classes. That was a relief and also a really good thing, because even though he hated to admit it, Woohyun loved to listen to Sunggyu sing, and maybe he would get to hear more of that during their joint classes. He was looking forward to it.

Spending the afternoon going through the books had been a bit tough, because it was a while (a whole year) since he had last studied, but it was all worth it because Woohyun hated going unprepared anywhere. It was a result of the discipline his agency had instilled in him during his trainee period.

When he returned to his lonely room after a quick chat with Sungjong over the phone while in the Gohan garden in the evening after his self-studying session, he decided to set things in order in his room. There was still some time until dinner. The five of them would gather for food at Dongwoo’s house in the building since it was the largest. Alternately, they could have food at the common Gohan canteen, but they liked the privacy of Dongwoo’s place and enjoyed each other’s company. Sungjong was missing in their group, but the younger would join them in a few days and then their group would be complete.

Woohyun rummaged through his bag and sorted his things into the cupboard. The room assigned to him was really small, similar to the other single rooms in the building, but he was used to it. One by one, he emptied the contents of his bag until he reached the hidden pocket in his bag.

It contained a notebook, the one which he kept hidden at all times, the one he didn’t use any time other than during this month. There were still some days left until he would use the book, but he opened it nevertheless, deciding to go through the entries in the notebook to pass his time.

Looking at kid Woohyun’s handwriting was always funny because it reminded him of how his hangul characters would look like mandu back then, but the contents of his writing gave him a bittersweet feeling.

 

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy eleventh birthday. Hyung would be surprised to receive this letter from me since you think I still hate you, but I do not hate you now. Hyung saved my life back then and instead of thanking you, I called you a killer. But that is not how I feel. I don’t hate you hyung. I have wanted to tell this many times, but whenever I come to hyung, you are always busy or playing with Dongwoo hyung. You don’t even look at me. I feel like crying. I want to be your friend too. When hyung disappeared that time, I cried for days even though you returned in the night. I was so sorry for making you feel sad, I was sorry for hating you. But I couldn’t say it to you, I am sorry hyung. Never leave us again please._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy twelfth birthday. I couldn’t hand you the letter I had prepared for your last birthday. It is still in my notebook. And I did not even wish hyung. But hyung looked happy. I am glad you have Dongwoo hyung. I finally found a friend too. Sungyeolie is nice. He lost his entire family in a car crash, and when he came here, he was alone and crying, and I cried too because it reminded me of myself two years ago. I still want to be your friend, but you seem happy. I am waiting for you to come to talk to me because I think hyung hates me and doesn’t want to talk to me. I am really sorry for making you sad in the past and I want to apologize to you, but I am scared of hyung. What if hyung hates me? I am scared to hear that. Please talk to me once, not while in a group. Come talk to me when I am alone. I can’t wait anymore. Please hyung. I am tired of waiting. Didn’t my eomma ask you to protect me? Then why did you leave me alone?_

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy thirteenth birthday. I don’t even know why I am writing this because the past two letters are still in my notebook. And there’s no reason for me to write this now, is there? This one is going to end up beneath the other two. There’s nothing to say this time. I hope you are happy with your group. I am glad Myungsoo finally started interacting with people, though I am not happy he decided to join you and Dongwoo hyung. I thought he liked me more. Anyway, we have a new friend too, Sungjong. He is annoying sometimes, but I like him. I think there is no need for me to continue writing these letters anymore since we are going our separate ways._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Somehow, this year was terrible to me. I missed eomma a lot. I miss her every day. Myungsoo talks to me more often now, and I am happy. Sometimes, I wish hyung would talk to me too. You wish me on my birthday when I don’t wish you back, you congratulate me for my good marks and I want to wish you the same, but I am still scared to talk to you. Please talk to me more hyung. It feels nice._

_And Donghae hyung told me that you have been looking after me all this years. That you requested the ahjusshi not to throw me out of Gohan when I got into a fight for Sungyeol. That the new book I got in replacement of my old book which I lost was given by you. Where did you get the money? Did you use food money? I learnt a lot about similar things from Donghae hyung. He’s the student rep and knows everything, and told me he thought you were my older brother. Sometimes, I wish that too. I hate that you care for me, but don’t talk to me more. Please tell me you don’t hate me. Don’t ignore me when I pass by you. I am happy to have food to eat and blessed to have friends by my side, but I also wish hyung would be my friend too._

_Happy fourteenth birthday and congratulations for being first in your year. I couldn’t say it to you, but I was really happy. You are doing good. I want to be like hyung too._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy fifteenth birthday. I wonder how long I will keep writing this. We don’t talk much now, and after a few years, we won’t even live in the same building. Will you forget about me? Or just remember me as the boy who you saved on the insistence of his mother? As the boy who hated you and blamed you for killing his mother? As the boy who caused you sadness because of that? As the boy who was just one of the many people around you in the succeeding years?_

_I don’t know why but Sungjong seems to like you a lot. He says you got him out of big trouble. Myungsoo and Sungyeol are classmates and are really close now. And Dongwoo hyung is in my soccer team. It seems your group and my group are all friends which isn’t impossible considering Gohan does not have many students, but I wonder if we will become friends too someday. I hope we will._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Since I don’t want to start the letter with something bad, let me start with wishing you a happy sixteenth birthday. This letter will just gather dust in my notebook like the past letters. I wonder what I will do with these in the future. Some of my classmates write daily entries in their diaries. Maybe in the future it would serve as reminder of the past. But you are not important enough for me to just have this memory. I wonder if I should maintain a daily diary too. Shindong hyung said it was a girly thing to do, but I noticed him secretly maintaining a diary too. Does hyung have one too?_

_I really wish I could say this to you personally, but I am sure you know this already. I hate you. A lot. I am tired of waiting for you to talk to me. So I tried to talk to you once by asking you for help in homework, but you asked Dongwoo hyung to assist me. It hurt me a lot. Because it was the first time I was able to actually talk to you on my own without any need for me to do so. It was the first time I tried to talk to you in a non-classroom setting. Maybe you are ashamed to be my friend, since my scores dropped low this year and you are the topper of the class. Are you ashamed to associate with me? Since we are all in the same group and we are the only two in the group who don’t talk much, I thought it was finally time that I try to talk to you. I tried again. It was me who requested Dongwoo hyung to let me room with you during the field trip, hoping we could finally be friends. But you decided to not come on the trip after the change in the rooming arrangements. What do I make of it? Do you really hate me that much? You might be wondering why I went from being silent around you, to being angry when around you. It is because your presence hurts me. It reminds me that you hate me. Sometimes, I wish that two years should pass quickly so you would leave Gohan, and then it would only be the five of us in the group. I don’t like being around you. But sometimes, you still behave as if you care for me. Why did you lend me your umbrella today through Myungsoo? I thought it was an extra one when taking it and Myungsoo only later told me you had caught a cold because you lent your umbrella to me and had to walk back here drenched in the rain. Why are you like this?_

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Congratulations on winning the award for your science project. I don’t know why but I felt proud. I really don’t have the right to feel like that right? I can be considered your family because Myungsoo and I were the only ones along with you who survived the fire that wiped out our town. I can be considered your friend because our group of friends is the same, and hence we are always together. But I am neither your family nor your friend, so why do I feel proud…_

_I wonder what you want to become when you grow up. You are good at science but I heard you singing on Dongwoo hyung’s birthday and it was really beautiful. Even though you sing really well, I hope you don’t decide to become a singer, because that is my dream, and I wish there is one thing in my life I enjoy which doesn’t have you in it._

_Happy seventeenth birthday. One more year and you will be far away from here. I don’t know how to feel. I think it should be a happy occasion for me since I hate you, but I don’t know._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy birthday. You are eighteen now. You are the oldest in our group. I wonder how it feels knowing you will be leaving Gohan forever. I wonder if we will meet again. I thought it would be a happy time for me, but I have been crying for the past days by myself. Why do you always hurt me? Will we never talk again? I am sure you feel less burdened now that you will leave me behind. I wish I could thank you for all the times you looked after me here, for wishing me birthday even though I don’t wish you, for congratulating me on my achievements. My eomma would be satisfied. It is because of her request that you looked after me right? Now after leaving, you won’t contact me anymore. I should be happy, right? But I can’t stop crying now._

_I heard you got admitted to the country’s top university. You will be going to Seoul. Once you go to that big city, will you forget about us completely? I wish you come back one day before I leave. I want to see you._

_Can I ask you to not go? But I don’t have any right to do that. Gohan is sad that the most loved student rep is leaving. Congrats on being the rep btw. Even Dongwoo hyung and our dongsaengs are upset. I wish you could stay back a year. But you have to go. I hate you. I hate you even more now because you won’t remember me anymore._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_A lot of things happened. And first of all, I am really sorry. On the day when you were leaving and everyone said their goodbye speeches to you, I went to the stage and said that I hate you. That was really stupid of me. But that was all that came to my mind at that time. Dongwoo hyung, Myungsoo and the others scolded me later. They said you were hurt. I know you were hurt because I saw your reaction after saying those words._

_Believe me, I wanted to apologize to you right there in front of the entire Gohan student and teacher population, but I couldn’t. Because I really hated you. I hated that you were leaving. Why were you leaving? I also hoped maybe you would actually for once talk to me properly more than a ‘congratulations’ or a ‘happy birthday’. Couldn’t you do that once? I thought you would, but it was time for you to leave, and after the farewell wishes, you were supposed to board the bus and leave. I was angry and naive, and I hoped you would talk to me even if just to scold me for what I said, but you just boarded the bus and left._

_I wonder how you are doing. Dongwoo hyung told me you topped the university in the first year which was not a surprise. I hope to beat you and become better than you. I did well this year, same as last year. I am also the captain for the soccer team and won a singing competition for our school. Every time, I hoped you would come to congratulate me like always. But you did not even wish me birthday this year. You really forgot about me huh? Do you hate me more now? I want to say sorry for hurting you. But that will not change things right? The last time I told you I hated you in front of everyone was nine years ago, and you disappeared then. You came back the same day though. When I said I hated you last year during farewell, you disappeared again, but you are still not back. Will you never talk to me again?_

_I am doing well and plan to study music. I will work hard and one day, you would have to call me to congratulate me eventually. Happy nineteenth birthday._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_I don’t know how you managed to do it, but Sungyeol told me you are working part time, so I guess that’s where you got the money from? Thank you for the cell phones you gifted us. I don’t know why you gave Sungjong one, he is still fifteen, that kid, but maybe you didn’t want to upset him. I don’t know why you gave me one too. Was it really meant for me? I was sceptical for a long time. I thought I was prepared to never hear from you again, so when I received the phone I was shocked._

_I didn’t know Dongwoo hyung had given my number to you, so when I received the call from an unknown number on my birthday, I wasn’t going to pick it up. But I am glad I decided to do it, because what if you didn’t call again? I had to call back anyway since I didn’t reply to your ‘Hello’ and you hung up. That was because I was crying. I hadn’t expected to hear from you and listening to your voice made me emotional. You didn’t talk much I am glad because I was sure I would have declared my love for you, if the call had went on any longer. When you said the cell phone was an apology gift for not wishing me last year, I wondered if it would be better you don’t wish me every year if I keep getting gifts instead. But I don’t want that. I really hate that you were not at Gohan for two whole years. I wish you keep on calling me every year even if it is for a talk of one minute duration. I will record it and listen to it again and again._

_I got admitted to the university I wanted to join. Since I am busy working alongside, it is easier to not feel homesick but sometimes I feel like returning to Gohan. Did you feel like that too? I still hate you but ~~I~~ ~~I lo~~ ~~I~~ ~~I lik~~ I love you too. Happy twentieth birthday. It is now a decade since we met on that unfortunate day. I know you don’t like to celebrate your birthday because it is just a day after the death anniversary of our families, but I hope we meet together for a celebration soon, because it has been years since we last saw each other. Since you gifted me the cell phone I have been wondering if I should call you on your birthday, but I called five times today and you didn’t pick up. Do you want me to continue the tradition of not wishing you? I am sorry that I never wished you, but I never had the courage and didn’t understand the need to wish when you wouldn’t even pay me attention the rest of the year. But now birthdays hold importance for me since those are one of the only times I get to talk to you. I will call more once more, but I will understand if you don’t pick up._

_~~I miss you.~~ _

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Ha, I don’t know what to say this time. Really. At the beginning, of the year, I missed you so much, but I miss you more now. I hope you never get to read my letters, because this is embarrassing to write._

_Who would have expected? I didn’t think you would come to my campus. And all by yourself that too. Sure, Sungyeol was supposed to come to help me with some money, but he was busy. But never did I expect that you would come instead. I was so happy, now it feels embarrassing, because I was really happy to see you after a gap of three years. And you had called just the day before to wish me nineteenth birthday too. I thought that it was time, that it was finally time that you would talk to me and that we would be friends, but you ignored me again. You just came to my dorm, and handed me the money at the door and turned to leave. I hated you so much for that. I guessed you must be still upset about the declaration of hate I made three years ago at Gohan, but you talked to me fine just the day before on the phone, so I was confused. I wanted to show you my university, my workplace, and introduce you to my new friends. When I saw you at my door, it was like my family which was separated was back, but you didn’t even smile at me. Why?_

_But I didn’t want you to go so soon. Which is why I pulled you inside my room. I saw your surprised face and all that made me think was ‘cute’. How could you still be cute at twenty years of age? I wanted to talk to you, but like always you made a move to leave, and I don’t know what came to me then, but I kissed you. I feel immature for behaving like that then, but I don’t regret it even a bit. I didn’t expect you to kiss back, but you did, and since you are not going to read this anyway, I am going to write it down here- it felt amazing. It was better than every other kiss I have had before, probably because I was really desperate for you then. But the way you responded with the same vigour, it made me feel really hot. I don’t really remember much of what I spoke to you then, because I was afraid you would leave and kept on babbling things so that you would stay. The only things I remember saying are that I missed you, and that I wanted you. I remember your flushed face, and how you nodded after a lot of thinking, saying it was only a one-time thing. And I will never forget how you cried out my name when I moved inside you. It was wonderful. I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you. I also saw how you looked surprised at my pace. Maybe you were expecting angry hate sex. I would have expected that too. But I wanted you to remember me better. I wanted to convey all I have never been able to say. Which is why I made love to you that day. I also wanted to say that I love you, especially when you kissed me at the end, and also when you hugged me tight after I pulled out. But I actually hated you because you left really soon._

_I heard you got a boyfriend a month ago, and that unexpectedly made me sad for a while, but I realized there was no reason to feel sad. We aren’t committed to each other. I wonder what our relationship is. Anyway I wish you a happy twenty first birthday._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_Happy twenty second birthday._

_I miss everyone, though I have been in contact with them. I still use the cell phone you gifted me, so does everyone else, except Sungyeol who somehow broke his, and Myungsoo, who needed one with better camera for candid shots. Sungjong wants to be a model, he says. I don’t know. But since our Sungyeol wants to be a doctor and is working towards that, nothing is impossible it seems. If anyone would have told me years ago, that Sungyeolie would be a doctor, I wouldn’t have believed it. He has the aptitude to be in the entertainment industry. In fact, he would have done great as an actor. But the kid is a hard worker. I am proud of him hyung. I am sure you are too. How are you doing? I read in the news that you are heading a team from your university for some very important research. I don’t understand how you plan to achieve that goal since it seems very hard (I spent a lot of time reading about it to understand), but I wish you achieve good results. Because you need to maintain a high standard, since I have to defeat you and a lofty goal isn’t what I need._

_I heard you broke up with your boyfriend due to the stress of the project. I wish I was there to support you somehow. But would me being around change anything? I have a girlfriend now. I really don’t know how to find gay men here, and was scared to come out, so being in a relationship wasn’t something I expected. But this sweet shy classmate of mine proposed to me, and I couldn’t say no. I realized I like girls too and personally, I like her a lot. She is a friend and companion and someone who makes me really happy. I love her. So far, I have introduced her to all of our group, except you._

_I told her about you, how I have always wanted to be your closest friend, and how much I hate you. She told me that she was glad I had put in efforts to talk to you, but she wanted me to put real efforts. Which is why, when you called me on my birthday, instead of spending the evening with her, I asked you to meet me. I wanted to talk to you; it has been a year since we met last time. I wanted to propose friendship, despite how strange it would sound, because doesn’t the world view us as friends? But what did you reply to my invitation of a simple meeting over dinner? “Go out with your girlfriend” Even after I insisted, you did not relent. And so-_

_I have given up. Nam Woohyun has given up. You would think it wouldn’t upset me anymore, since I was used to it right? But I cried once again because of you, on my birthday even. I hate you._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_To be honest, I wasn’t going to receive your phone call on my birthday this year, because I was still upset about your rejection to meet last year. But I received it, partly because I didn’t want to lose contact with you forever and for now, these phone calls are the only thing keeping us in touch even if it is just a “happy birthday” “thank you” “how are you” “okay n u?” “same” and the same conversation every year. And partly because I was moving into a different apartment with my girlfriend that day, and was nervous, and I hoped listening to your voice calmed me down. It somehow worried me despite calming me down, since you were coughing._

_I hope you are okay now. Heard you have become a workaholic and have been neglecting your health. Dongwoo hyung has been calling me continuously complaining to me about you and I wondered if I should call you continuously too, because you would start taking care of your health, just so you wouldn’t have to talk to me right?_

_Why do you hate me so much?_

_What can I do for you to stop hating me?_

_Yes, I have given up, but it still doesn’t hurt less._

_Myungsoo told me the two of you have been visiting the graves in our old town and that you were researching the area around for clues about the incident years ago. I wish you would call me too, but knowing you, you would probably drop the search if I came. If you trusted me enough to share information with me, you could actually make some progress. Because I do have a lot of inputs to give. You would know stuff about my mother which could actually give you some leads. I still remember some things from childhood. But I don’t have anyone I can talk with about it. And I won’t tell Myungsoo either, if he isn’t willing to share info with me. I won’t tell him because he would share that with you, and why should I give any leads to you when I don’t get any in return? But I am curious. Myungsoo doesn’t disclose much, but I am grateful for whatever he tells me, guess someone still cares about me._

_Happy twenty third birthday and congratulations on the success of your project and the national award. You have indeed set the standard high. I will reach there soon. A surprise is on the way._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung._

_Somehow I forgot to mention about getting scouted by Woollim in my last letter. But it doesn’t make a difference, since I don’t actually send these letters anyway. I wonder what would be your reaction if you get your hands on these letters one day. It would be embarrassing for me. Somehow I think, you wouldn’t care. I don’t know. I don’t really know you well. All the care you show for me, the one sided concern of just giving and not wanting to receive, makes me feel like you are doing it for the sake of duty, for the sake of the promise you made to my mother. But I still wouldn’t want to stop receiving it. Because that’s the only way we are connected. And I don’t know what kind of fucked up relationship this is, but please don’t ever break it. Since you didn’t stop even after I turned an adult, I hope you continue with this forever. Because even though it wouldn’t make sense and I hate to admit it, but I care for you._

_When you were admitted to the hospital for fainting, I was so troubled. I came to visit you, despite Sungyeol assuring me you would be better in a few days. Though I did not come inside your room, because I didn’t know how you would react, and troubling you at the time of bad health seemed to be a terrible idea, so I looked at you from outside while you were sleeping and left._

_I broke up with my girlfriend. We realized we didn’t match after living together for a while. It was all fun while we were apart, but living together gave a reality check. It was just fights everyday over the silliest issue and none of us had the ability to overcome it. We tried for too long until it became overbearing. I wasn’t as deeply affected by the break up as I had thought. I recovered quite easily. I also wasn’t expecting you to check up on me after that, but you did, even if it was just two sentences over the phone. Thank you._

_I asked Myungsoo about the status of your research, and he talked about this one temple you found at the beginning of the year, but after that he refused to reveal any details. I am sure you made him shut his mouth, and I despise you for that. I went to the area looking for any temples around with Sungyeol by my side, but we couldn’t find anything. Sungyeol tried his best to obtain information from Myungsoo, but Soo wouldn’t open his mouth. Did I say I hate you?_

_There is this guide program at Gohan which started last year, and ever since Dongwoo hyung became the caretaker there, he has been requesting me to join as a guide. I don’t have the financial capacity to support Gohan currently and I desperately want to become a guide since there is a shortage of guides it seems. I don’t think my agency will allow me to take a month’s leave, but I begged them, and they told me they would allow me the leave annually if my first album gets a music show win._

_I am going to try my best. If I win, I hope we can all meet together and become guides for the same month. I guess it will be hard for you to take leave, but I hope you join us for one day at least. I want to talk to you and tell you how much I hate you. Happy twenty forth birthday._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_It feels odd writing a letter to you when we are in the same building. I wonder how the kid me used to do that._

_I released my first album and won on two music shows, and you even congratulated me. I wonder if you even listened to the songs. Do you know how many songs I released? Somehow my songs didn’t do well on charts despite of the physicals being strong, and I wanted to do better. I am lacking compared to you._

_But this year has been nice to me. I was really happy to be able to join as a guide. And knowing all of you would be there made me so happy, I packed for days, even shopping for gifts from what I earned this year. I have a lot of trainee debt to repay, but if my second album keeps the same momentum, it will all be repaid soon. Seoul seems like a really big city. Ever since I shifted there, I have wondered if we could all meet together since everyone except Dongwoo hyung lives there. But I don’t think you would want to meet me. So I met the others separately. I didn’t think you would come to Gohan as a guide either, but you came, even though you ignored me._

_You see, I was just tired of being ignored even after declaring my hatred to you on the second day, which is why I punctured the tyre of your car. I thought you would know it was me, and I was sure you do know, but chose to keep quiet to avoid confrontation with me. I didn’t stop bothering you though. There was nothing to lose except the fear of losing contact with you completely. But when you have kept in touch all these years despite so many issues, I was willing to risk it at the possibility of finally getting to interact with you. And my approach did pay dividends._

_We now talk finally._

_You don’t know how long I have been waiting for this, and how happy it made me. All my efforts to trouble you and gain your attention worked. Even if those are just pranks to you, for me they satisfy my need to engage with you. I feel sorry for troubling you like that, but it works, so I won’t stop._

_I don’t hate you any less and when I got to be around you for an entire month after years, it seems like you have the same feelings towards me._

_I hate it when you take Myungsoo along on your expeditions to research the fire incident and the unidentified temple._

_I hate it when you care about Dongwoo hyung, Sungyeol, Myungsoo and Sungjong, and ignore me at the same time._

_I hate it when you eat the carrots in our dish despite not liking them yourself, when we share food, because you know how much I detest eating carrots. Or how you check me from afar for injuries every time I return from a sports class because of the one time I injured my ankles badly._

_I hate it when our eyes meet, and I feel sparks around me, which fizzle out at the sudden change in your expression from cutely surprised to blank._

_I hate it when you sing, when your beautiful voice captivates the air, when you grasp the mic with your pretty hands, when your eyes search around the room, and settle on me, surprised that I am there too._

_I hate it when we teach dance to the kids and you dance so charismatically despite how much I expected to tease you for it. I hate how your sweat moves through your body as magically and makes me want to hold your exhausted body, and make you rest for a while._

_I hate how every time I want to touch you, be close to you, you seem similarly affected, yet look away._

_I hate not being able to do the things we could have done, if not for the distance between us._

_I loved every single moment spent this past month with my only family, the five of you, and I hate not being able to make it better._

_But I have learned to be with content with what I get and this is the best year out of all the past years I have spent away from Gohan and I am glad._

_For once, it was not just through this unsent letter hidden in my notebook that I wished you a happy birthday, but through a brief hug at your birthday party in Gohan while with our friends. And I am happy. Happy twenty fifth birthday._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_You still didn’t catch me for the punctured tyre this year. How long are you going to play dumb?_

_The most interesting thing I heard this year was of your relationship with Hoya, the guy who we have known since childhood, who has been living in the house next to Gohan’s building with his family all these years. A friends with benefits relationship isn’t something I would imagine you to be a part of, since you seemed to be a conservative guy, so it was surprising to know. This time I do feel cheated because of all what transpired between us during April last year. But maybe that was one sided and my hopeful thinking deluding my mind. But I wonder why you had to take the trouble of hooking up with someone in the next building when there was someone right next to you willing to offer themselves. Ah, I forgot that you had a Woohyun allergy._

_Somehow we talked more and more this year. Did I tell how nice it feels to not hold back whatever I want to say? The two of us are the most talkative in our group, it is a wonder we managed to keep so quiet all this time. There has always been this thought in the back of my mind, making me wonder whether my desire to be close to you was only because of the wall between us. But that isn’t the case. Because after we started talking freely, I want to get even closer to you. When you insult me, I insult you back more. When you laugh freely at my dumb jokes, it makes me happy. When I don’t have to wait for your call every year, and instead have the liberty to talk to you any moment, it just makes everything better. I wonder why it took you so long to accept me, and what it was that finally made you allow me to be a part of your life. Was it because of the separation? Did distance make your heart fonder for me? I don’t know, but I am happy. Thank you. Even though most of the times we only fight and argue, I am happy._

_Happy twenty sixth birthday and thank you for letting me properly hug you this time during your birthday, even if for just two seconds._

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_I wonder if I should quit writing this because what purpose does it serve?_

_Anyway, I find it so funny you enrolled for a martial arts class. Is it because of the punch I gave you? I would have gone lighter on you if I had known you would be this scared. You deserved the punch. I know you have always tried to be involved in stuff related to me without my knowledge over the years maybe out of a sense of responsibility, but I am a grown up adult now. I think it’s better if you don’t meddle in my affairs without asking me, Kim Sunggyu. Who are you to ask the trustees to make me drop out of the soccer coach position? The sport is something I have loved since years, and that you had the audacity to do that behind my back is appalling. I hope you learnt your lesson._

_I didn’t wish you a happy birthday this year since I am still upset but I hope you enjoy your twenty seventh birthday. Whatever. Also I have a boyfriend now, and he’s a really good singer, from a bigger company. So yeah things keep on changing and life moves on. There are just two days left after which we’ll leave Gohan and return to our lives like every year. But I wonder if I should even bother to come next year. Or if I should come during a different month. I wonder how long we will be in contact. I don’t want to see your face anymore. Is this how things end? Is one fight enough to end everything?_

_-_

_Sunggyu hyung,_

_I should stop lying to myself, shouldn’t I? You did not call me when my album did well on the charts. So when you did not even call me on my birthday, I cried to sleep. I thought I would be okay not hearing from you anymore, but I was wrong._

_But you called me the next day, saying you were unwell and couldn’t call the previous day. I don’t know if you were lying, but thank you for calling anyway. I missed you. I still hate you though, neither am I sorry about the punch._

_I hope you are doing well. Happy twenty eighth birthday hyung. A lot happened this year. I broke up with my boyfriend last month and slept with Hoya on my first day at Gohan. It was embarrassing that you caught me sending him off out of my room after that, more so because you have been with the both of us before. But you didn’t react at all. I didn’t know what to make of it._

_The nights after that were really lonely because Sungyeol has been sleeping in Myungsoo’s room and Sungjong in Dongwoo hyung’s since Dongwoo hyung asked him. I wondered if I should ask you to come to my room since we were both alone. But you wouldn’t even consider it, would you? I am sorry I pranked you more this year. Your face drenched with honey was a funny sight to see. It somehow helped me overcome my loneliness when you responded to my pranks, when you would chase after me. We returned to talking and arguing like before unexpectedly. You still haven’t caught me for puncturing your tyres. I wonder why._

_Many a times, I just want to go to you, break apart from the chains, and just embrace you. But if you don’t want that, I am not going to force you. I wish you would stop looking at me the way you do though. It only makes my heart long for you more. And I hate you for that._

That was where the writing in his book ended. Woohyun wondered if he should already start writing this year’s entry. It was almost like a yearly diary. But it didn’t make sense for him to write a letter to Sunggyu now, when he could as well as simply talk to him. Yet he didn’t want to stop. He thought of what the content would be this year. There was the all kill he had received for his title song which was the biggest accomplishment in his life so far. He had also been nominated for the grand music prize, and for a rookie soloist like him, it was a big thing. Sunggyu had congratulated him every week his song received an all kill, which meant Woohyun received a call four times for his weekly all kills. He smiled into the call every time, hoping he would get a call the next week too.

Then there was the call on his birthday too. Woohyun had decided to host a party at his place inviting only his friends. He had texted, asking Sunggyu to come too. But the older didn’t come. Woohyun had been upset of course, but it was not like he had expected Sunggyu to be there. Though the older had called him after his party had ended, to wish him, and had also talked for longer than usual. Woohyun had been happy.

He had no clue where his life was heading to in personal terms. Twenty seven was not too old, but Woohyun already wanted to settle down. He wanted a partner by his side, whom he could love and receive love back. It was an important thing for him, but the two failed relationships in his past discouraged him from taking any step further. Pining after a man who was not interested in him didn’t help either.

Would his life be spent like that? It wasn’t like he wasn’t content enough, but he had to take a step in some direction and move from the crossroads he was at. Getting adjusted to the routine would be harmful, maybe he should work on improving?

Sungyeol’s words repeated themselves in his mind. Should he try to remedy his friendship with Sunggyu? Would the older actually appreciate the change? Somehow, Woohyun doubted that. He was afraid it would go back to like before, that Sunggyu wouldn’t talk to him when there was no reason to.

But Sungyeol could be right. After all, the younger knew the both of them well. And Sungyeol only had good intentions. He had always been supportive and fond of Woohyun, and Woohyun wanted to trust in him. It would take some time though. He couldn’t change things drastically within a day right? He only hoped that it didn’t end up with him crying again.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“Hello cute-gee-gee~”

Sunggyu half opened his eyes and looked around confused. Where was he and why was Dongwoo in front of him?

It took him a while to realize he was at Dongwoo’s place, sitting on the floor surrounding the low table, with his five friends.

It was six in the morning and today was the day starting which they had to teach the kids.

Seven was the time classes would begin but somehow Sungyeol had convinced them to gather at six there, saying they could talk for an hour.

That turned out to be a bad idea, because everyone was sleepy. Everyone except Dongwoo, who was used to waking up at the same time every day. And Woohyun who was fine with waking up and sleeping at whatever odd time. Sunggyu was always concerned about how inhumane Woohyun’s agency had to be, to turn the undisciplined brat Woohyun into a perfect human within such a short time. But at that moment, Sunggyu was only concerned about one thing- sleep.

Unfortunately, Dongwoo had other plans. He kept on poking Sunggyu’s cheek calling him variations of cute, and Sunggyu whined hoping Dongwoo would get that Sunggyu couldn’t work on caffeine alone and was a normal human being who needed his fixed hours of sleep unlike him. He envied Myungsoo who had made the uncomfortable table his bed, and Sungyeol, who had his head over Myungsoo’s stomach, using it as a pillow, no one bothering to disturb their sleep.

Sunggyu craned his neck to look at what Woohyun was doing, hoping he could persuade the younger to get Dongwoo off him, before Sunggyu had to actually snap which he didn’t want to because Dongwoo didn’t deserve to get scolding from anyone.

But the brat was sitting some distance away, his legs stretched over the floor, body leaning backwards, his palms resting on the floor behind him, supporting his body. Woohyun was lost in his thoughts, as if in an entirely different world, and not even Sunggyu’s desperate looks for help could reach him.

Sunggyu would take having to endure Woohyun’s annoying pranks instead of having his sleep stolen, but all his efforts were futile.

Thankfully, there was a call for Dongwoo requesting his presence somewhere in the building, and the younger left hurriedly, saying he would be back soon.

As soon as he left, Sunggyu looked around quickly trying to find anything close by which could serve as a bed, since neither did he want to sleep on the hard floor, nor did he want to move.

There was only one thing.

He crawled towards the unsuspecting Woohyun, and laid his head on the younger’s thigh. That could do for a pillow. Woohyun might draw on his face, and that would be a terrible thing to wake up to since Sunggyu had a class to teach in an hour, but sleep was the most important thing in Sunggyu’s life. He would deal with other things later. And so he simply closed his eyes and dozed off on his soft pillow.

Minutes later, he woke up to the sound of the door closing.

“What is going on? Is it time to leave already?” Sunggyu mumbled. Had Dongwoo returned?

“No.” Woohyun said above him. “Myungsoo and Sungyeol left to their rooms. They wanted to catch some sleep and Dongwoo hyung wouldn’t let them do that here.”

Sunggyu sat up suddenly. Oh yeah, Dongwoo would return soon. Sunggyu looked at Woohyun, as if the younger was the solution to all his life problems.

“Do you want to go to your room too?” Woohyun asked, snapping out of his thoughts, returning to the human world.

Sunggyu nodded. But there was a problem. He didn’t want to walk to his room even if it was just a level above. So he just sat there, in all his drowsiness.

There was a hand on his back after some time and Sunggyu pouted at Dongwoo’s return, but it wasn’t Dongwoo.

It was Woohyun, who picked up Sunggyu in his arms gently.

Any other time, Sunggyu would have protested. But at that moment, he wanted to kiss Woohyun for being the most dependable person ever.

Woohyun opened the door, and carried him out, walking up the staircase, and avoiding the elevator. All the time, Sunggyu hid his face in Woohyun’s shoulder, because it would be humiliating if anyone saw him like that.

His gaze fell on the bandages on Woohyun’s neck, of similar prints to the ones covering Sunggyu’s hand, and smiled to himself. They were fools, fools too stupid for their own well-being.

Woohyun opened the door to Sunggyu’s room on his own since he knew the passcode; everyone in their group knew it. And the younger placed Sunggyu on the bed, pulling back after a while to leave.

“Where are you going?” Sunggyu asked. Though it was a dangerous thought, he missed being close to Woohyun already. The younger was really cuddly and equivalent to taking sleeping pills, without any side effects, unlike those drugs.

“Uh… yeah… Dongwoo hyung isn’t in his room currently right… Uh I guess I’ll go to my room” Woohyun seemed to be spacing out again.

And that was when a brilliant idea occurred to Sunggyu. He caught hold of Woohyun’s hand which was the closest part of Woohyun accessible to him, and pulled the younger down onto the bed. “We have the same first class, and I’ll need to be woken up. So stay with me here.” He said. It was more like an order, and he was half expecting Woohyun to refuse.

But the younger surprised him, by laying down next to him. “Okay, what time should I wake you up?” He asked.

Sunggyu moved closer to him, happier when the younger placed an arm over him, effectively letting Sunggyu snuggle into him. “Wake me up fifteen minutes before seven. I have to gather some notes for the class.” He said, hoping Woohyun could hear what Sunggyu said muffled into his chest.

Woohyun okayed anyway, setting an alarm on his phone, and began stroking at the back of Sunggyu’s head, at the small hairs above his neck.

The touch was soothing, as Woohyun’s soft yet bony fingers rubbed against the sensitive skin behind Sunggyu’s neck, lulling him to dreamland. Sunggyu would have given Woohyun the best person award and would have fulfilled all of his wishes at that moment, but sleep came to him soon.

He woke up on his own some minutes before the decided time since it was his usual time to wake up. The sight in front of him made him squeal internally because Woohyun looked really cute while asleep.

Deciding not to dwell on that, Sunggyu sat up, setting the alarm for a few minutes later, so the younger could sleep longer.

He grabbed his cell phone to check his face in the camera. It would be a surprise if his face was intact. It had been subject to graphic detailed drawings three times in the past years, Woohyun being the honourable artist of those. And so now when all Sunggyu could see on the phone screen was his sleepy face without any crude paintings decorating it, he considered it as a victory and smiled in relief.

When his gaze landed on Woohyun again, the bandages on the younger’s neck came to his notice once more. Sunggyu felt guilty for hurting him. Sungyeol had explained to him that it was a dangerous thing to do, and Sunggyu wouldn’t have done that had he known about that. But Woohyun had been really annoying yesterday, running off with his phone to delete the proof for which Sunggyu had had to wake up early and wait out in the cold. And Woohyun had been the one to start it!

But now, Sunggyu felt stupid for retaliating similarly. He leaned down to have a closer look, not that he could see anything, but he wanted to gauge the intensity of the damage. His fingers moved forward of their own accord to touch the bandage, but he stopped himself in time. As if that was not enough boldness on his part, he was automatically drawn closer to the younger, his lips stopping inches away from Woohyun’s neck, from the place where a bandage had been removed the previous night, which only had a faint mark as a reminder. Sunggyu moved some distance away, clutching the sheets in frustration, looking longingly at the man sleeping peacefully on his bed.

When he deemed himself to be fairly in control, he moved back to the younger and covered him with the sheet. Then, forcing himself to look away, he got off the bed, and started dressing up for the class.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The clock continued ticking and Sunggyu’s patience kept on getting thinner with every movement of the minute hand on the wall clock.

The class of twelve year old kids looked at him anxiously hoping the teacher didn’t let out his anger on them.

“Professor” The female class rep said after some more minutes of pin drop silence, her voice nervous. “What are you waiting for?” She made a face right after that, internally berating herself for not being able to ask her question properly.

“The assistant professor.” Sunggyu said nevertheless, his voice giving out his anger. “He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. I would have started the class, but today is supposed to be the introductory lecture and-”

Right then, the classroom door opened, and a man walked in, sweating, as if he had come running all the way.

“Sorry, I got late-”

“There is no time. Introduce yourself so we can move on.” Sunggyu glared at Woohyun. He had woken up Woohyun on time and so by arriving late, the younger had let him down.

Woohyun faced the class, trying to smile, and said, “Hello, I am Nam Woohyun, the assistant professor for science. Some of you know me already, but to the new kids, I want to inform you beforehand” He turned serious, and the class silently waited for him to continue with rapt attention. Woohyun, suddenly smiled brightly. “I am your friend, so don’t feel shy to come to me for any problems, okay?”

The students nodded their heads, cheering.

Woohyun opened his mouth to speak more, but Sunggyu started with his class before any more time could be wasted.

The first half hour went smoothly, and Sunggyu was surprised that there was no troublemaker in the class of twenty three students. It was probably the first time in years that Sunggyu had come across such a sincere group of students.

But in the second half, when he turned around to write something on the board, something hit the back of his head.

He turned around, searching for what hit him, but couldn’t find it. He hoped the students would give him some clue, but everyone was writing in their books. And Woohyun was in a corner, airpods tucked in, busy writing notes for his next class.

Sunggyu hoped it was just his imagination and turned back to the board, but right at that moment, something hit his back, and he immediately turned around.

It was a piece of chalk.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“What do you mean? Are you telling me someone disturbed you in your first lecture for the year here? That’s the fastest record.” Dongwoo placed his hands on the desk in his cabin, acting impressed. “Who was it?”

Sunggyu stomped outside the cabin and pulled someone in along with him.

“Eh?” Dongwoo started, his face perplexed. “Sunggyu sshi, why did you bring Woohyun goon here?”

“Suspend him! He disrupted my class!”

“But… how can I suspend a… teacher?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t want to see him in my next class!”

“I can’t do that.” Dongwoo stood up. “And are you telling me he hit you with a chalk?”

“Yes” Sunggyu said, miffed. “The students would only be encouraged to act unruly if he continues being present in the class. I am competent enough to handle the subject on my own.”

“This is so hilarious, oh no!” Dongwoo started laughing all of a sudden, Woohyun giggling too. “Woohyunie you are really something huh?” Dongwoo patted him on the back.

Looking at the two in disbelief, Sunggyu stood with his hands folded, his patience wavering as the din of their laughter grew louder. “Are you going to do something about him or not?”

The warning in his voice must have scared Dongwoo because he brought an abrupt stop to his laughter and regained his composure. “Hyung, I think you should settle this matter among yourselves. Woohyun isn’t a kid, after all. I can’t do anything about this.”

“Okay.” Sunggyu said, too calmly. He walked out of the room, dragging Woohyun with him.

“Hey! Where are we going?” Woohyun asked behind him, as he was being pulled out into the corridors.

Sunggyu walked some distance and then came to a stop when Woohyun’s protests became harder. He pushed the younger onto the wall, and placing his hands on the wall on the sides, blocking Woohyun’s escape, he leaned closer. “Are you going to behave? Or do you need punishment?”

All of a sudden, there was a change in Woohyun’s demeanour. The mischievous cocky smirk on his face made way for a flustered look.

The change in aura affected Sunggyu too. Nevertheless, he didn’t move his gaze from the younger, knowing it must be a plan of his to escape.

Woohyun was biting his lips and looking up shyly at him. “Hyung” He said.

The address kind of startled Sunggyu. He wasn’t used to such a shy Woohyun. “Yeah?” He asked, confused.

“If you want to give me a punishment, that’s okay.” Woohyun’s hands fell down slowly and his palms found purchase on Sunggyu’s waist, resting there comfortably. “But like this here… in public…” Woohyun pulled Sunggyu closer, and breathed into his ear. “Wouldn’t it be indecent?”

Sunggyu tried to maintain his composure as his limbs curled up due to the effect the younger’s proximity to him had on him. But Woohyun’s words were alarming enough and it made Sunggyu look up around in urgency. Thankfully, there weren’t any students around them, but the two staff members walking by them definitely had judging expressions.

After they moved out of his sight, Sunggyu pulled away and turned away from Woohyun. There was no use to discussing anything with the younger. It would only lead to an argument. And Sunggyu had better things to do. So he decided to let go this time.  Before leaving, he gave a warning though, “Since this was the first time, I am letting you go without any repercussions. But one more time and… it will be either you in the class or me. This isn’t a joke.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

The music class had been pretty dry too since Woohyun had started with the basics and Sunggyu had stayed silently in a corner giving no inputs.

Woohyun regretted having disrupted the class earlier in the day, because Sunggyu would probably have acted more enthusiastic in his class had he not disturbed the older during his subject. And Woohyun couldn’t complain now, so he simply taught the class whatever he had prepared the day before.

Sungyeol, who came to his room after dinner that night, had a lot of things to say.

“I told you to stop doing it, but you already messed up. What can I do about you?” Sungyeol rolled around on the bed, landing a few hits on Woohyun’s rear portion, just because.

Woohyun kicked him out of the bed in retaliation. “There’s nothing to be done. These things keep on happening.”

“What do you mean by that? You make it happen!”

“He will come around in days. He can’t keep on killing me with his eyes forever.”

“I don’t care how angry he is at you or if and when he will forgive you. The issue here is that you might have hurt him.”

“Why are you being like this, Sungyeol ah?” Woohyun stretched open his arms and indicated Sungyeol to sit back on the bed. “Let me have some fun.”

The younger sighed, and sat down next to him. “You are okay having fun at the expense of his feelings? If that is the case, I am not going to stop you. Sooner or later, you will realize. It might be too late though by then.”

Sungyeol’s words had truth in them. And Woohyun knew his actions had to have affected Sunggyu negatively. But he couldn’t stop. How else was he supposed to behave around the older? And annoying Sunggyu was fun. But just then, the image of Sunggyu’s disappointed face came to his mind, the expression the older had made when the students had pointed to Woohyun being the culprit. Sunggyu had seemed genuinely disappointed and now that Sungyeol mentioned, he also had looked hurt. And that was not what Woohyun aimed for. “Okay.” He resigned. “I will stop.”

Sungyeol turned to him, surprised.

“Why are you looking like that?”

“Really?” Sungyeol asked sceptically.

“Yes. But if that causes any problems between us, then I will annoy the hell out of you.”

“That’s fine. I know how to annoy you back. You probably forgot whom you learned those pranks from.” Sungyeol grinned, and stood up from the bed.

 

 

 

 


End file.
